Groove drilling machine



Nov. 7, 1944. w GREVE GROOVE DRILLING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet l R 0 ME m 6 M A m w n l. W l

ATTORNEYS Nov. 7, 1944. w. cs. GREVE GROOVE DRILLING MACHINE Filed April 23, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WI L LIAM G.GREVE ATTORNEYS Nov. 7 94 50 w. G. GREVE GROOVE DRILLING MACHINE File'd April 23, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ill WILLIAM G.GREVE Nov. 7, 1944. w. G. G'REVE i 2,362,254

GROOVE DRILLING MACHINE Filgd April 23, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR WILLIAM G.'GREVE ATTORNEYS Nov. 7, 1944. w. GJGREVE 2,362,264

GROOVE DRILLING MACHINE Filed April 23, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR WILLIAM G.GREVE m ALWQL ATTORNEYS Nov. 7, 1944. w. G. GREVE GRQOVE DRILLING MACHINE Filed April 23, 1941 s sheets-sheet 6 INDEXING M NISM HYDRAULIC CYLIN DER Illlrll lllln mm-zxme nsvsnsms VALVE VALVE E E 90 =1 e J E J|2 9 5 J s sao co umm. E VALVE MOTOR INVENTOR.

WILLIAM G.GREVE ATTORNEYS 'themachine; i

Patented Nov. 7, 1944 :GROOVE DRILIJIN G MACHINE William G. .Greve, Detroit, Mich., assignorito The Gear Grinding'Machine Companwllamtramck,

'Micli.,a corporation of Michigan Application April -23, 1941, Serial No. 390;002

(o1. sir-15.1)

, "Ih-e invention relatessto :machines for internally grooving :hollow members and has more particular reference to a machine designed :for x 1. hemanufacture of atorque transmitting universal joints. (one type .of universal joint which has been extensively imanufactured :com-

' pr es inncria'nd outer. concentric spherical membore -coupled :to each other :by balls which :are arranged sin {meridian grooves :in the adjacent sphericahsurfaces ofsaid members, Thegrooves in theinner or zmaleqmember are readily imachined, ;but more difficulty is experienced in .cutting :the internal grooves in :the outer or female memberdue to the.:r.estricted clearance .for the cutting .tool. v x.

g It is the iobl'ectsof itheinstant invention 170x011- tain .a mechanism which 1 efiiciently performs one step in theoperation of internally grooving -..the female members of universal joints, and 'to zthis end the invention {consists in the: construction :as hereinafter set forth. I

In the drawings: l I Y :Fig. 1 is an elevation ofnne side ;of "the :machine;'

2 is {an elevation/of ithe-Vopposite :side -.of the machine; A

Fig. 3 isan enlarged view :of iaportion of .Fig.

1 illustrating the operation of :the machine on thework;

,Fig. 4 is .a crosssection through .the steady Fig. 5 is across-section, partly intelevation, substantially on i'line5 -15 of Fig.3;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal SBQtiOII-wOIljliIli-L 26-16 of Fig- 3; 1.. it i i I Fig. 7 is a section on line .1--'! of Fig. 5

Fig. 8 is a sectiononline 8--8 of Fig. 3;

:Fig. '9 is :-a;diagrammatic cross section showing the :operatingmrechanism for the reversing valve oftthe reciprocating mechanism;

"Eig. -10tis a diagrammatic view illustrating the indexing mechanism;

;Fig. 1 1 xis 'a;cross section showing gthe operating mechanism :for the valve controlling the indexingmechanism; and

12 .1818, zdia'g-rammatic plan -.view:i1lustrat-' for the various parts of ing the LCOI'ltIO]. :means .Member to be grooved While my improved mmhine;v may have :other uses than in the manufacturefof .nniversalwjoints, I shall describe A a. construction specifically adapted for this one use. Asillustrated in Figs. 1 :and. :3, :the .universal ajointazmember I has a hollow spherical portioni and a shank portion 3, which latter may be formed with splines '4 for coupling with the drive or driven member (not shown). The portion ,2 has a spherica'iinner surface 5 and a plurality of grooves 6 extending in axial planes and -longitudinally curved to :be concentric with the surface 5. As shown in Fig. 8, there are six of 'the grooves '5, which are spaced from each other by an angled It is essential that the indexing of "these grooves should 'be exact,in order .that they may accurately register-with the corresponding grooves on the male member. *It is also essential that they should be concentric with the axis of the shank 4.

The blank 'f'or the'member I is preferably formed as a steel forging or casting, and the grooving operations are'performed subsequent to the machining 10f the shank ;3 and :Ltbe formingof :the splines Mthereon. 'fllhis shanktherefore :forms ;a means .for :holding the member 1 during the groovingoperations .andiforen ersing the same with :the indexing mechan sm. l'llhe first stepin the; operation \of :Iormin iihelarcuate grooves is :to drill rstraight grooves or channelsyin properly lindexedirelation 2170 each other, i and :this is the operationiperfonmed by the machine :forming the subject matter of the instantlapnlication.

General description 0,) machine I Briefly de cribed, ;my improved .rnmhin comprises a drill mounted in an axial plane LQ :the work, said mounting being :adiustable to vary both the radial len th "from and the angle 1 saidgax s. The machine is further provided with a recip ocatory carriage .for advancin and-ret t ne he:drilltogetherw h controllinem ans therefor, through which the lengthier travel ay J06 vari d. A further .ifeatur :is th automatic control for the aind xing mechani m rby which, .during a iportion :of 1 11 'grecinrooatpry movement while ;the drill is withdrawn ifrom (the work, the la ter will be ;.indexed Ito 1.1 new position ,-for ea succe din drillin v:onera ion- St anoth r featurelis :a teady e z o nort (for the portion of the work-.which'is;en a edhmthe .ldril and whichlis automatically .o anmeli prio to the d n operation and ireleas d znrior zt athe iindexing operation.

Work support and indexing mechanism member I. The specific construction of indexing mechanism is not a part of the instant invention, and it will be suflicient to state generally that it includes a hydraulic actuating mecha- E is a U-shaped frame mounted on the bed and extending upward therefrom to embrace the portion 2. E are jaw members slidably mounted in bearings in the frame E and provided with work engaging pads E which are spaced from each other about the axis of the work by angles of substantially 120. These jaws are simultaneously operated to clamp or unclamp the work, by hydraulic pressure operating in a cylinder E against a piston E which actuates a sliding bar E This bar has a cam portion E for directly actuating one of the jaw members E and cam portions El and E for actuating transversely slidable bars E The latter have cam portions E for engaging inclines E on the jaw members E to actuate the same in a'substantially radially inward direction. It will thus be understood that whenever fluid pressure is exerted against the piston E all three jaws will be simultaneously actuated in an inward direction to firmly clamp the portion 2 of the member I, and when fluid pressure on the piston is released, pressure of the jaws is relieved so as to permit the indexing operation.

Drilling mechanism The tool for forming the grooves is preferably a twist drill F, having a rounded nose portion and of a diameter slightly greater than the width of the groove. The axis of the drill when in operation is not parallel to the axis of the member I, but inclines slightly toward said axis from the outer to the inner end of the groove. Also, the axis of the drill lies inside of the inner face of the member 2, so that the cross 'section of the groove is less than one-half the cross section of the drill. Consequently, during the drilling operation, the drill must be reinforced to take care of the radial inward thust, which is accomplishedby a semi-circular reinforcing member F. This has a tubular shank F which engages a supporting bearing F to which it is clamped by a nut F The bearing F is preferably integral with a plate F which also supports a stepdown change gear transmission G. for driving the drill. The plate F is vertically adjustably secured to a carriage H by means of an adjusting screw IE and clamping bolts F The carriage H is longitudinally slidable upon a guideway member H. The member H is angularly adjustably secured to a frame member H mounted upon the bed A, said angular adjustment permitting the setting of the axis of the drill in the desired relation to the axis of the work. As shown, the member H has a circularrecess therein engaging a projecting hollow pivot member H on the member H2, and clamping bolts H passing through slots in the member H and engaging the member H, hold the latter in its angularly adjusted position about the pivot H Reciprocating mechanism For actuating the carriage H to impart a reciprocatory movement thereto, there is mounted on one side of the bed a cylinder I containing a piston I, which is connected by the rod I to a rack bar I slidably mounted in a guideway I at the side of the bed. This rack bar is in mesh with a gear wheel I mounted on a shaft 1 which is journaled in the member H and extends across the bed and through the hollow pivot H in concentric relation thereto. A pinion I" is mounted on the shaft I within the circular recess in the member H, and this pinion is in mesh with the rack bar I which is longitudinally movable in a channel I in said member H and is secured to the member H to actuate the same.

Thus, a reciprocatory movement of the piston I within the cylinder I will transmit this movement through the elements just described to the carriage H which, in turn, reciprocates the drill F.

Controlling means for reciprocating mechanism Rotatably mounted on the frame H adjacent to the gear wheel I is a second gear wheel J which also is in mesh with the rack I The outer face of the gear wheel J has formed therein an annular undercut or T-shaped slot J, and a plurality of dogs J are adjustably mounted in this slot to project outward from said face of the gear. Projecting outward from the side of the bed A beneath the gear wheel J and rack bar I is a pin J on which is pivotally mounted a rocker member J One arm J of this rocker member projects into the path of the dogs J While another arm J engages a rocker member J on a shaft J. The opposite end of this shaft has a rocker arm J which actuates a reversing valve J controlling the supply of hydraulic fluid alternately to opposite ends of the cylinder I to actuate the piston I therein. The length of stroke of the piston is therefore controlled by the setting of the dogs J and this forms a means of controlling the length of reciprocatory movement of the drill F. In addition to the dogs J a cam member J is adjustably secured to the gear wheel J, and this cam member cooperates with a second rocker member J mounted on the pivot pin J The rocker J when moved by the cam J operates a valve J which is in the supply line for hydraulic fluid to the reversing valve J and restricts the flow so as to slow the movement of the piston I. The purpose of this is to slow the movement of the mechanism operated by the piston I while the drill is performing its work in the cutting of the groove, and after this work is completed, the movement of the mechanism is accelerated during the remainder of the cycle.

Drilling rotating mechanism As above described, the drill F is connected to a transmission gearing vG mounted upon the plate F which plate is secured to and movable with the carriage H. The driving mechanism for this gearing G comprises a motor G mounted on the bed, which is connected through the medium of a universal joint G to'a telescopic shaft G the latter being connected by a universal oint G with the driving gear of the transmission G. Thus, the telescopic shaft (3 and universal joints G and G transmit rotary movement to the gearing G without interfering with the reciprocatory movement of the carriage. The desired speed of rotation for the drill E may be obtained by chan ing gears in the transmission G.

Indexing mechanism As previously described, the indexing mechanism arranged within the housing B includes a hydraulic actuating motor B"'an'd a notched in-' rock arm 13 which is in the path of a dog B ad-.

iustably mounted on the gear wheel I This adjustable mounting is similar to that previously described in Connection with the gear wheel J and permits the setting of the dog so that it will actuate the rock arm B after the drill F is completely withdrawn from the work. This will permit Operation of the hydraulic motor B to effect anindex-ing operation which will be completed before the drill F again comes in contact with the work. The completion of the indexing cycle is automatic, and it is therefore unnecessarythat t e dog B should actuate the rock arm B during the return movement of the gear wheel I Thus, the dog is provided with a pivotal mounting B", permitting it to latch over the arm B during such return movement. The operation of the shaft 3' also controls, by suitable means (not shown), theisupply of fluid pressure to the cylin der E of the steady rest, so that the work will be clamped prior to the operation of the drill and will be released prior to the operation of the indexing mechanism. As shown in Fig. 12, a conduit E connects the cylinder E with one fluid conduit to the motor B so as to clamp the work in the steady rest during the return movement of the indexing mechanism and to release the clamp during the indexing movement. The valve 13 maybe manually operated, when desired, by a shaft B and rock arm B Operation I After the Work, such as the member I, is mounted by engaging the shank 3 thereof with the chuck D, the plate F is vertically adjusted on the carriage H, in accordance with the radial distance between the axis of this member I and the axes of the grooves to becut therein. Also, the guideway member H is angularly adjusted to be suitable for the particular work to be performed. The dogs J are then adjusted on the gear wheel J so as to give the proper length of stroke to the piston I, and the cam J is Properly set to slow the speed of movement during the portion of the cycle in which the drill is cutting the groove. The dog B is also properly set on the gear wheel I so that the indexing mechanism will be operated during the portion of the reciprocating movement of the carriage when the drill is out of contact with the work.

After these adjustments have been made, the machine is started and will successively drill grooves in the portion 2 of the member I, indexing of said'member being automatically performed intermediate successive drilling operations. As the drill is only cutting on one side of its axis, the reinforcing member F is essential to hold it to its work. Also, it is necessary to rigidly hold the-workfrom lateral displacement, which is accomplished by the hydraulic steady rest E.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a grooving machine, the combination with a drill, of means for.holding the Work in the path of a segment only of said drill, and means for resisting deflection of said drill under lateral thrust of the work. i

2. In a grooving machine, the combination with a drill, of a holder for the Work adapted to position the same in the path of a segment only of said drill, and a thrust bearing for a segment of said drill diametrically opposed to the aforesaid segment.

3. In a grooving machine, the combination with a drill, of a Work holder adapted to position the work in thepath of a segment only of said drill, and a reinforcing sleeve surrounding a portion of said drill and provided with a projecting portion engaging a segment of said drill diametrically opposed to the aforesaid segment and constituting a lateral thrust bearing.

4. In a machine for internally grooving annular members, the combination with a drill, of a work holder rotatably adjustable to position successive portions of said annular member in the path of a segment only of said drill, the remaining portion of said drill being movable within said annular member, and a thrust bearing for the latter portion of the drill opposed to the aforesaid segment.

5. In a grooving machine, the combinationwith a bed, of a work holder mounted on said bed, a head also mounted on said bed to extend above the same and provided with a hollow pivot extending laterally therefrom, a uid'eway mount ed on said hollow pivot to be angularly adjustable thereonand provided with means for clamping to said head in different positions of adjustment a carriage slldable on said guid'eway, a drill mounted on said carriage, and means for reciprocat ing said carriage comprising a shaft passing through said hollow pivot, a pinion on said shaft, a rack engaging said pinion passing through "a" cutaway portion of said hollow pivot and secured to said carriage, and means for rotating said shaft alternately in oppositedirections.

6. In a grooving machine, the combination with a bed, of a work holder mounted on said bed, a head also mounted on 'sa-idbed to extend above the same and provided with a hollow pivot extending laterally therefrom, a guideway mounted on said hollow pivot to be angularly adjustable thereon and provided with means for clamping tosaid head in different positions: of adjustment a carriage slidable on said guideway, a drill mounted on said "carriage, and means for 'reciproc'at-- ing said carriage comprising a shaft passing through said hollow pivot, a pinion on said shaft, a rack engaging; said pinion passing through a cutaway portion of said hollow pivot and secured to said carriage, a gear wheel secured to the opposite end of said shaft, a rack engaging said gear wheel, and means mounted on said bed for reciprocating said rack.

'7. In a grooving machine, the combination with a bed, of a. work holder mounted on said bed, a head also mounted on said bed to extend above the same and provided with a hollow pivot extending laterally therefrom, a guideway mounted on said hollow pivot to be angularly adjustable thereon and provided with means for clamping to said head in different positions of adjustment a carriage slidable on said guideway, a drill mounted on said carriage, and means for reciprocating said carriage comprising a shaft passing through said hollow pivot, a pinion on said shaft, a rack engaging said pinion passing through a cutaway portion of said hollow pivot and secured to said carriage, a gear wheel secured to the opposite end of saidshaft, a rack engaging said gear wheel, a hydraulic cylinder mounted on said bed, a piston in said cylinder connected to said rack, a reversing valve for the hydraulic fluid controljustable means for operating said reversing valve to control the length of stroke of of said piston and carriage.

8. In a grooving machine, the combination with 1 a supporting bed, of a work holder mounted thereon, a guideway also mounted on said bed to extend above the same and angularly adjustable with respect to the axis of said Work holder, a carriage on said guideway, a drill mounted on said carriage toextend in an axial plane of said work holder and adjustable toward or from said axis, means for reciprocating said carriage, a motor for driving said drill, a change speed transmission mounted on said carriage, and a universally jointed telescopic driving connection between said motor and said change speed transmission.

9. In a grooving machine, the combination with a bed, of a rotary work holder mounted thereon, an indexing mechanism for said rotary work holder, a carriage mounted for reciprocation on said bed, a drill mounted on said carria e in operative relation to the work in said work holder, a steady rest for clamping and rigidly supporting the portion of the work engaged by said drill, means for reciprocating said carriage, means automatically actuating during the portion of the reciprocation when said drill is disengaged from the work for operating said indexing mechanism, and automatically operating means for releasing said steady rest in advance of the operation of said indexing mechanism and for reclamping the same in advance of engagement of said drill with the work.

10. In a grooving machine, the combination with a bed, of a Work holder mounted thereon, a head mounted on said bed to project upward therefrom, a hollow pivot projecting from said head, a guideway mounted on said hollow pivot and angularly adjustable thereon, means for clamping said guideway to said head in different positions of adjustment, a carriage slidable on said head, a drill mounted on said carriage in operative relation to the work in said holder,

and means for reciprocating said carriage and controlling the length of stroke thereof, comprising a pinion within said hollow pivot, a rack engaging said pinion extending through a cutaway portion of said hollow pivot and secured to said carriage, a shaft for said pinion extending through said head, a gear wheel mounted on the opposite end of said shaft, a rack engaging said gear wheel, a hydraulic cylinder mounted on said bed, a piston in said cylinder connected to said rack, a reversing valve for the hydraulic fluid controlling the reciprocation of said piston in said cylinder, a second gear wheel in mesh with the rack engaging said first gear Wheel, and adjustable dogs on said second gear wheel for actuating said reversing valve and determining the length of stroke of said piston.

11. In a machine for internally grooving universal joint members having a shank'portion and an enlarged hollow head portion, the combination with a bed, of a rotary chuck mounted thereon for engaging the shank of the work, an indexing mechanism for rotatively advancing said chuck, a carriage mounted for reciprocation on said bed, a drill mounted on said carriage in operative relation to said hollow head portion, a steady rest for externally engaging and clamping said hollow head portion concentric with the axis of said shank portion, means for reciprocating said carriage, means automatically actuating during the portion of the reciprocation of said carriage when said drill is disengaged from the work for operating said indexing mechanism, and automatically operating means for releasing the clamp of said steady rest in advance of the operation of said indexing mechanism and for reclamping the same in advance of engagement of said drill with the work.

12. In a grooving machine, the combination with a supporting bed, of a rotary work holder revoluble about the axis of the work therein mounted on said bed, an indexing mechanism for said rotary work holder, a head mounted on said bed having a face extending in a plane parallel to said axis of the work, a guideway mounted on said face and angularly adjustable thereon in the plane thereof with respect to said axis, a carriage travelingly mounted on said guideway, a drill mounted on said carriage to extend in the plane of said axis and adjustable towards or from said axis, means for reciprocating said carriage, a motor for rotating said drill, and a change-speed gearing between said motor and drill for adjusting the angular velocity of the latter.

' WILLIAM G. GREVE. 

